A MODERN miracle worker, the Master of Electricity and the British Edison was how Dr Walford Bodie MD was described.

Born Samuel Murphy Bodie in Macduff, Banffshire, in 1869, he became an apprentice electrician with the National Telephone Company at 14 and this sparked his interest in electricity.

Within two years he realised his true calling and was performing in his first live stage show at Stonehaven Town Hall, Kincardineshire.

He was the Derren Brown of his time and performed a range of eye-opening stunts that combined magic, illusions, hypnotism and ventriloquism.

He set out on the music hall circuit but soon Bodie was using electricity as a form of entertainment, which earned him his Electrical Wizard nickname.

The cloak-wearing Scot sported a trademark upward-pointing moustache and was popular with audiences in many countries from Ireland to India.

At the height of his career he earned £250 a week (more than some earned in a year), owned two hotels, a London nightclub and several homes.

He inspired illusionist and escapologist Harry Houdini, one of his good friends, and a young Charlie Chaplin would also impersonate the Scots wizard.

Jim Cain is the grandson of Bodie's first cousin. The 66-year-old accountant is fascinated by his work and is compiling an anthology of his life.

His extensive research project - which has already taken him three years - began when he inherited a family photo album when his mum passed away.

Jim said: "Hypnotism and second sight were as enthralling then as they are today. Levitation was possible.

"Bodie brought all these things to life and presented them in spectacular fashion to the public.

"He had dashing good looks, a sharp wit, a devilish sense of humour and massive amounts of confidence, drive, and energy."

Jim, who lives in Sydney, believes the driving force behind the great man's success was his wife Jeannie Henry, whom he married at 18.

Jeannie was also involved in the world of entertainment and went under the name of Princess Rubie. She had seven talented sisters who often starred in Bodie's stage shows.

Two in particular - Mary, who adopted the stage name of Mystic Marie, and Isabella, who was known as La Belle Electra - regularly assisted him.

Shortly after prisoner William Kemmler became the first person to be executed by the electric chair at Sing Sing Prison, New York, in 1890, Bodie built a replica of if and incorporated it into his show.

Years later the actual chair was gifted to him by his good pal Houdini.

In a bid to highlight his opposition to capital punishment, Bodie aimed to shock audiences with mock electrocutions on his homemade chair.

Using electrical charges, Bodie also claimed he could cure paralysis and introduced "bloodless surgery" into his act, calling himself "Dr Walford Bodie MD", despite having no medical qualifications.

Like most magicians and illusionistds, Bodie had his critics, who often referred to him as a conman or a charlatam.

But soon his stage show took controversial to a whole new level.

When he began to use people with disabilities in his stage shows - his posters called for people to "Send Your Cripples" - Bodie was considered to have overstepped the mark.

Jim says he regrets Bodie going down this contentious route but added: "I think he was a man who knew how to generate publicity and did exactly that."

But it brought him bad publicity and in 1905 the Medical Defence Union took him to court for embellishing his CV with bogus qualifications.

In his defence, the comical showman insisted that the 'MD' did not stand for Medical Doctor but "Merry Devil". He lost the case - despite claiming to be able to produce more than 100 testimonials from his "patients".

A few years later, in 1909, Bodie was back in court when his former apprentice Charles Irving sued him for breach of contract. The trial lasted four days and Bodie was ordered to pay £1000 in damages to Irving.

Both court appearances tarnished Bodie's reputation. Bodie did not set out to deliberately attempt to deceive with his fictitious qualifications but he outraged the medical profession throughout Britain.

Medical students in Glasgow made their feelings towards him known when he visited the Coliseum and they pelted him with objects.

Less than a week later, students in London caused chaos and burned an effigy of Bodie. During the demos, known as the Bodie Riots, police officers were injured.

One man who believes Bodie was a great showman despite the negative publicity is Dr Roger Woods, an English magician, author and publisher.

In 2005, Dr Woods and Brian Lead co-wrote a book called Showmen Or Charlatans: The Stories Of 'Dr' Walford Bodie And 'Sir' Alexander Cannon.

Dr Woods said: "My conclusion after studying the life of Walford Bodie is he was a great showman and self-publicist.

"Many of the things he said and did are questionable but he was great."

First and foremost Bodie was a showman but he was also considerate and compassionate. While conducting research for his anthology, Jim found handwritten letters showing that, underneath his bravado, Bodie appears to have a softer side.

Jimsaid: "What kind of person was he? I have come up on the favourable side because I've read letters he wrote and you can see he is a very soft guy."

In one to Houdini, Bodie states: "Dear Houdini. Your kind letter of sympathy duly to hand, please accept our united best thanks, also condolences, in the irreparable loss of your dear Mother.

"Trusting you and Mrs Houdini are well, and with our united kindest remembrances... I am, yours very sincerely, Walford Bodie".

Following his court appearances and the riots in the early 1900s, Bodie temporarily disappeared from the limelight and wrote two books, Stage Stories and Harley The Hypnotist.

During this time he suffered a number of personal tragedies including the death of his daughter, his son, two of his sisters-in-law and his brother-in-law, who was his manager.

Then he lost all his production equipment - and almost his life - when he was on the Arabia ship and it was torpedoed by a submarine and sank during the First World War.

He went on to perform and entertain in venues but never regained the height he once achieved.

In his 60s, after the death of his wife Jeannie, he married a 22-year-old showgirl.

He died aged 70 in Blackpool after a run of shows at the Pleasure Beach.

He is buried in the family plot of Doune church cemetery in Macduff.

Jim Cain is gathering further material on Walford Bodie, with a view to writing a book about his grandfather's cousin. If any readers have material, letters, photos or memorabilia they may wish to contribute, you can contact him by email at jim.cain@schlegel.com.au